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INTEREST: BLACK phone: how private? how secure?
by Wayne Billing 28 Feb '14

28 Feb '14

...from: http://www.itproportal.com/2014/02/25/a-closer-look-at-the-blackphone-and-w… ...or: http://bit.ly/N9FcnH A closer look at the Blackphone and why it's more anti-Google than anti-government MWC 2014<http://www.itproportal.com/mwc-2014/> 25 Feb 2014 by Ryan Whitwam [A closer look at the Blackphone and why it's more anti-Google than anti-government] Tweet<http://twitter.com/share> Silent Circle and Geeksphone announced the Blackphone earlier this year<http://www.itproportal.com/2014/01/16/blackphone-creates-nsa-proof-smartpho…> as everyone was still wringing their hands over NSA spying. The stated goal was to make communications private, just like they ought to be. Of course, that was conflated with an NSA-proof phone, which it’s not. Now, after having been officially unveiled at MWC<http://www.itproportal.com/2014/02/25/mwc-2014-meet-blackphone-the-official…>, the Blackphone is up for pre-order and Silent Circle has explained more about how the handset will work. Spoiler: It’s not doing anything new, but it does come with a full suite of privacy-minded apps and services. With the Blackphone, what it lacks may be just as important as what it includes. The Blackphone clocks in at $629 (£375) over in the US, which is right up there with the unlocked cost of most flagship smartphones. The device will run on a 2GHz (or higher) quad-core ARM chip, with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. Wondering about a microSD card for more storage? What, and let someone walk away with your data? Surely you jest. Buyers will also be treated to a 4.7in 720p LCD and 802.11n Wi-Fi. Despite the privacy focus, the Blackphone does still have the usual HSPA+, LTE, and GPS. The hardware is fine, though likely generic. The real selling point of the Blackphone is the software it runs. The company calls it PrivatOS, and it’s based on the open source version of Android. Most other Android devices you buy have Google’s services woven into the foundation of the OS, but not Blackphone. This device comes bundled with only Silent Circle apps and a few select third-party services for secure file sharing and VPNs. That means you don’t have access to Google’s app ecosystem, cloud platform, or location services. Although, that’s kind of why you’d buy the Blackphone. The Blackphone includes a two-year subscription to the Silent Circle application suite, which is what actually makes your communication secure. There’s no magic way to make regular cellular calls completely untraceable – the Blackphone is using the same network infrastructure and baseband as every other Android device on the market. Blackphone’s page uses a lot of inflammatory language to describe how Google’s services work, making it seem like this is more an anti-Google than anti-government surveillance phone. [cid:CB9C188F-5C84-42E5-A3F6-7C3BCECE72C1]<http://cdn.itproportal.com/photos/blackphone-features-chart_original.png> Access to Silent Phone, Text, and Contacts costs $10 (£6) per month after the included subscription, but you can only communicate with other people who also use the company’s VoIP service, which can be installed on any Android phone<https://play.google.com/store/apps/developer?id=Silent+Circle>. To make things a bit easier, the Blackphone includes three one-year “friends and family” Silent Circle passes. Adding up all the Silent Circle, encrypted file sharing, and VPN subscriptions leaves you with a value of about $1500 (£900). That assumes you use all these services to their fullest, of course. Silent Circle has also built out an enhanced version of Android’s app permission system in PrivatOS, like the now-defunct App Ops or CyanogenMod’s permission manager. It’s not unheard of functionality, but the more advanced permission management will allow users to revoke permissions from apps individually. For example, location or contact access can be blocked for some or all apps. The apps themselves will probably be side-load only, seeing as there’s no app store. Remote device management and security updates have also been modified by Silent Circle. Now that Silent Circle’s plans are laid out for us<https://www.blackphone.ch/phone/#privatosvsandroid>, the project seems less fanciful, but also less revolutionary. This is basically a moderately powerful smartphone running a privacy-focused custom ROM and some extra privacy tools that you can install on any phone. In fact, most of what the Blackphone does can be replicated with a much cheaper Nexus 5<http://www.itproportal.com/reviews/mobile-phones/google-nexus-5-review/> – install CyanogenMod, don’t flash the Google apps package, relock the bootloader, and install the Silent Circle suite. Silent Circle has been careful not to claim that this phone will thwart the NSA, but some people will still expect that. This device really just takes the guesswork out of making a mobile device somewhat more secure. Is that worth $629 (£375)? Silent Circle sure hopes so. The Blackphone is expected to ship in June. For all the latest news, photos and analysis from MWC 2014, check out our live coverage of the event<http://www.itproportal.com/2014/02/22/mwc-2014-live-updates-news-and-analys…>.

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INTEREST: Apple wins ‘best mobile tablet’ award at MWC
by Wayne Billing 27 Feb '14

27 Feb '14

[The GSMA Mobile World Congress (MWC - http://www.mobileworldcongress.com) is held each February in the Mobile World Capital of Barcelona, Spain. It includes a world-class conference, an exhibition with more than 1,500 companies, App Planet, mPowered Brands, and the Global Mobile Awards, which recognise the most innovative solutions and initiatives from around the world. In 2012, Mobile World Congress hosted more than 67,000 mobile professionals from 205 countries. Of these, more than 56% of these were C-Level executives, and 10,000 were mobile developers as part of App Planet.] ....from: http://9to5mac.com/2014/02/25/apple-wins-best-mobile-tablet-award-at-mobile… Apple wins ‘best mobile tablet’ award at Mobile World Congress in absentia<http://9to5mac.com/2014/02/25/apple-wins-best-mobile-tablet-award-at-mobile…> [ipad-air-best-buy-deal]<http://9to5mac.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/ipad-air-best-buy-deal.jpeg> The Global Mobile Awards today revealed their verdicts on their annual mobile device awards. As usual, like all industry conferences, Apple did not attend MWC. Regardless, in their absence, they were still given the ‘Best Mobile Tablet’ award<http://www.globalmobileawards.com/winners-2014/#cat_id25> for the iPad Air. The judge said: The iPad Air packs class-leading performance in an attractive and svelte frame, while its ecosystem has an undisputed advantage in the number of format-optimized apps Although Apple won the award for best tablet, the award for the best phone was given to the HTC One. Meanwhile, LG won the prize for ‘most innovative device manufacturer of the year’. Best Mobile Tablet Apple iPad Air Precision-engineered to weigh just one pound, iPad Air is 20 percent thinner and 28 percent lighter than the fourth generation iPad, and with a 43 percent narrower bezel the borders of iPad Air are dramatically thinner. iPad Air’s Retina display makes web pages, text, images and video look incredibly sharp and realistic, and the new power-efficient A7 chip allows the battery to be even smaller, helping reduce the overall volume by 24 percent from the previous generation while doubling its performance and maintaining its up to 10-hour battery life.

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INTEREST: Microsoft bought NOKIA to release an Android cellphone
by Wayne Billing 24 Feb '14

24 Feb '14

In September, 2013, to much fanfare* Microsoft and NOKIA announced that Microsoft Corporation and Nokia Corporation Boards of Directors for both companies have decided to enter into a transaction whereby Microsoft will purchase substantially all of Nokia’s Devices & Services business, license Nokia’s patents, and license and use Nokia’s mapping services. Nobody (outside of Microsoft and NOKIA, presumably) thought this meant that Microsoft would start selling ANDROID cellphones to capture Windows phone customers....... ...from: http://www.engadget.com/2014/02/24/nokia-x-elop/ Elop: Nokia X will bring more consumers to Windows Phone<http://www.engadget.com/2014/02/24/nokia-x-elop/> BY BRAD MOLEN<http://www.engadget.com/about/editors/brad-molen> @PHONEWISDOM<http://twitter.com/phonewisdom> 5 HOURS AGO [cid:9D17B5FE-DAA0-434B-BF83-F11AB5F43E5A]<http://www.engadget.com/2014/02/24/nokia-x-elop/> After Nokia's big announcement of the brand-new X series<http://www.engadget.com/2014/02/24/nokia-announces-the-x-its-first-android-…> [of Android cellphones], we had a chance to sit down with Stephen Elop, the executive VP of Devices for the company. Naturally, the company's decision to crank out an Android device was a matter of great curiosity for us. Most importantly: Did Microsoft agree to this from the beginning, or did Nokia's acquirer go into this idea begrudgingly? According to Elop, it's the former. "Microsoft bought the Mobile Devices division," Elop told us, "so they knew what they were doing." Given the company's focus on a tile-based experience and its emphasis on the Microsoft Cloud, it's beginning to make a lot of sense. Elop went on to state that the X is primarily a stepping stone (a "gateway phone," if you will) for a largely untouched market segment -- emerging markets and developing countries -- to get acclimatized to Microsoft's suite of services and familiar Live Tiles interface. It's an interesting strategy, no doubt, and we're excited to see if it pays off in the long run -- people won't be rushing to a Windows Phone weeks after buying an XL, but it sounds like the idea is to plant a seed within consumers, as well as a reliance on services like Skype, Outlook and OneDrive. * - http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2014-02-16/news/47359495_1_sat… Does the Nokia deal still make sense for Microsoft? New York Times Feb 16, 2014, 02.55AM IST By James B Stewart When Microsoft announced in September that it was buying Nokia's struggling handset business and would meld its Windows operating system with the devices, it offered two major reasons for the $7.2 billion deal: - Apple and Google were combining their software and hardware. - The deal would ensure the survival of Microsoft's Windows operating system in a mobile universe.

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FYI: iOS, AppleTV update
by Wayne Billing 23 Feb '14

23 Feb '14

...from: http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1222 Apple TV 6.0.2<http://support.apple.com/kb/HT6148> Apple TV 2nd generation and later 21 Feb 2014 iOS 7.0.6<http://support.apple.com/kb/HT6147> iPhone 4 and later, iPod touch (5th generation), iPad 2 and later 21 Feb 2014 iOS 6.1.6<http://support.apple.com/kb/HT6146> iPhone 3GS, iPod touch (4th generation) 21 Feb 2014 Impact: An attacker with a privileged network position may capture or modify data in sessions protected by SSL/TLS Description: Secure Transport failed to validate the authenticity of the connection. This issue was addressed by restoring missing validation steps.

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INTEREST: Arizona, Apple, and Sapphire® manufacturing
by Wayne Billing 11 Feb '14

11 Feb '14

....from: http://www.macrumors.com/2014/02/10/arizona-apple-sapphire-tax-breaks/ Arizona Won Apple's Sapphire Plant with Tax Breaks, Energy Infrastructure, and Responsiveness Monday February 10, 2014 8:05 am PST by Eric Slivka A new report from Bloomberg<http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-10/apple-wooed-by-arizona-as-obama-se…> takes a look at how Mesa, Arizona was able to secure its deal with Apple to bring the company's new sapphire manufacturing plant<http://www.macrumors.com/2013/11/04/apple-to-build-new-700-employee-sapphir…> to the city. That facility is set to begin operation<http://www.macrumors.com/2014/01/30/arizona-plant-february-critical-compone…> this month with production at a scale massive enough<http://www.macrumors.com/2014/02/06/sapphire-production-future-iphones/> to support a shift to sapphire display covers for the next-generation iPhone. [cid:6CDC0EBD-BAA7-4E00-9607-736C2F628A0B] Former First Solar manufacturing facility purchased by Apple for new sapphire plant (Source: Business Wire<http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20121204005534/en/Blue-Oak-Energy-Com…>) The report notes that Mesa and the State of Arizona moved aggressively to reach a deal with Apple and its partner, GT Advanced Technologies, learning from previous negotiations that saw Arizona lose out<http://www.macrumors.com/2012/04/27/apple-expressing-frustration-as-tax-inc…> to Austin, Texas for an expansion of Apple's operations facilities. As a result, Mesa and Arizona officials made every effort to offer specific incentives, expedite permitting approvals, and even build out power infrastructure to meet Apple's demands. Time was of the essence since Arizona had lost out on the previous Apple facility to Texas less than two years earlier and was nervous others might trump its bid. Officials typically had just a few days to respond to Apple’s questions, [Mesa mayor Scott] Smith said. One sticking point: power. Apple wanted the facility to use 100 percent renewable energy and negotiated with the state and local power company, Salt River Project, about how to make that happen. New solar and geothermal projects are being built because of the project. Apple also got officials to agree to construct a new power substation for the plant. Other benefits for Apple include a $10 million grant from the state to support building improvements and hiring efforts, as well as a special designation for the property that will cut Apple's property taxes by over 70 percent. Mesa and Arizona are already seeking to leverage Apple's arrival to create a new technology corridor in the area where Apple's facility is located, with a number of companies having already contacted officials to express interest in locating near Apple

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INTEREST: Apple acknowledges AirPlay Mirroring issue with new Mac Pros & MacBook Pros
by Wayne Billing 06 Feb '14

06 Feb '14

...from: http://9to5mac.com/2014/02/05/apple-acknowledges-airplay-mirroring-issue-wi… http://support.apple.com/kb/TS5316?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US Apple acknowledges AirPlay Mirroring issue with new Mac Pros & MacBook Pros<http://9to5mac.com/2014/02/05/apple-acknowledges-airplay-mirroring-issue-wi…> In a support document<http://support.apple.com/kb/TS5316?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter> issued today, Apple addressed a known issue with AirPlay Mirroring performance freezing or dropping out. MacBook Pro and Mac Pro users with last year’s models may see the issue when using an 802.11 b/g network… Apple’s solution? Disable Bluetooth. For Mac Pro users, that means breaking out the wired mouse and keyboard as it has no integrated input and turning off Bluetooth means disconnecting the signal from a Magic Mouse and Apple Wireless Keyboard. Since the issue seems to be constrained to 802.11 b/g networks, upgrading your network base station<http://www.amazon.com/Apple-AirPort-Extreme-Station-ME918LL/dp/B00DB9WCR6/r…> might be a better solution. Wayne Billing Classroom Technology Support Audio Visual and Classroom Technology Support Computer & Network Services 130 Machray Hall Building 204-474-6649 204-807-3153 (cell) 204-474-7625 (fax) Wayne.Billing(a)umanitoba.ca<mailto:Wayne.Billing@umanitoba.ca>

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INTEREST: Foxconn employees charged allegedly accepting kickbacks
by Wayne Billing 26 Jan '14

26 Jan '14

[Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd., trading as Foxconn Technology Group, is a Taiwanese multinational electronics contract manufacturing company headquartered in Tucheng, New Taipei,Taiwan. It is the world's largest electronics contract manufacturer, and the fourth-largest information technology company by revenue. Foxconn is primarily an original design manufacturer and its clients include major American, European, and Japanese electronics and information technology companies. Notable products that the company manufactures include the BlackBerry, iPad, iPhone, iPod, Kindle, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Playstation 4, Wii, and Wii U. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foxconn] ...from: http://www.macrumors.com/2014/01/23/foxconn-employees-bribes/ Former Foxconn Employees Charged with Accepting Bribes from Supply Chain Partners Thursday January 23, 2014 6:42 am PST by Kelly Hodgkins Several former Foxconn employees have been charged in Taiwan for allegedly accepting kickbacks from partner companies in Foxconn's supply chain, reports The Wall Street Journal<http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB1000142405270230485650457933754237101…>. According to the report, a former general manager is being held on bribery charges and three former employees are released on bail. However, Apple and other Foxconn clients are not being investigated as authorities do not believe those companies were involved in the kickback scheme. [foxconn-iphone_production] The bribery allegations were made public last year when an internal Foxconn audit revealed several employees were accepting kickbacks from supply chain companies. Foxconn then acknowledged the criminal activity and turned the employee(s) over to the Chinese police for investigation. "We can also confirm that our internal investigation found these violations to be limited to the procurement of consumables and accessory equipment related to a small part of our business," Foxconn said in a statement. "The employees in question are no longer with our company." The charges come as Foxconn has been under fire multiple times in recent years for labor violations. The company has also been working with Apple to improve conditions for employees in its city-like factories, but it has been a slow process. After agreeing in 2012 to examine worker pay and limit working hours, a recent Fair Labor Association report<http://www.macrumors.com/2013/12/12/foxconn-and-apple-make-strides-towards-…>shows the company now is meeting the FLA's 60-hour work week, but still exceeds China's legal limit for weekly working hours and overtime.

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INTEREST: Cisco 2014 Annual Security Report: recent attack methods
by Wayne Billing 26 Jan '14

26 Jan '14

While most of the "Cisco 2014 Annual Security Report" is behind a userID and password, they have put the following information on the download page: ...from: http://www.cisco.com/web/offers/lp/2014-annual-security-report/index.html [cid:4A58B22B-7A84-4453-AF88-11438CA0C491]

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INTEREST: LA Board of Education to bring iPads to 40 campuses
by Wayne Billing 15 Jan '14

15 Jan '14

...from: http://9to5mac.com/2014/01/15/la-board-of-education-approves-115-million-de… LA Board of Education approves $115-million deal to bring iPads to classrooms<http://9to5mac.com/2014/01/15/la-board-of-education-approves-115-million-de…> [cid:56665592-656E-4236-8833-26A9BC78AA8D] In an ongoing effort to equip more classrooms with tablets and computers, the Los Angeles Board of Education has green lighted a plan to distribute and integrate iPads in nearly 40 campuses throughout the school district, the Los Angeles Times<http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-lausd-20140115,0,5059681.story#axzz2qUB0…> reports. The deal which was approved allots $115 million for deploying between 40,000 and 70,000 tablets to classrooms for use by students and teachers used especially for spring-scheduled standardized testing. While the final count has yet to be determined, the agreement approved by the education board omits a specific limit on number of iPads deployed. The board and district superintendent have both expressed plans to expedite the deployment, though that effort has not been without critics looking to spend more time on the plan specifics. Board member Monica Garcia said moving quickly was an educational imperative. “The whole point of this program is to revolutionize instruction,” Garcia said. Low-income students don’t get access “to what is a part of all our worlds today…. I don’t understand how cutting back what’s good is good for kids.” LA Times also reports the district will pay $768 per device which is relatively higher than what other districts spend, but includes network upgrades to the schools as well as iPad-specific curriculum for the classrooms. Officials representing the school district appear to be in talks with Apple on discounted tablet pricing for devices used solely for student testing where a curriculum may not be necessary.

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FUN: iPad Air: A week with the iPad Air in three words….
by Wayne Billing 09 Nov '13

09 Nov '13

I read the article below and have experienced pretty much everything he has to say about the iPad Air. If you've been using an iPad, the iPad Air seems to be some sort of illusion. It's not an illusion, though. It is light. It is thin. It is the same size...... display area. Here's a photo comparison between the original iPad and the iPad Air: [cid:10667BA6-6D94-408F-A30F-4D9D8D8C183E] I somehow jostled the table in taking this picture and misaligned the bottom right corners.... but, really, the bottom left corners are aligned and the iPad is that much wider than the iPad Air. [cid:C91BD8C1-74E3-4D14-B117-190CDCFCE49F] - here the bottom red line is where the bottoms of the iPads are. The Air (~470 grams) is about 1/2 the thickness of the original iPad (~700 grams) - not half the volume but, still, you could stack two iPad Airs for every original iPad: [cid:D95376F9-1BC6-4E1F-9980-C6F034B0D766] ...from: http://9to5mac.com/2013/11/08/a-week-with-the-ipad-air-in-three-words-belie… A week with the iPad Air in three words: Believe. The. Hype.<http://9to5mac.com/2013/11/08/a-week-with-the-ipad-air-in-three-words-belie…> [air-1]<http://9to5mac.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/air-1.jpg> All tech companies love to hype their shiny new gadgets. Nothing is ever a slightly better version of the last model, everything is a ‘breakthrough’, changes are always ‘dramatic’, performance is always ‘ground-breaking’. Apple is of course the acknowledged master of the marketing arts, so if I’m honest I [must admit I] mentally toned-down all the claims in the keynote about it being “dramatically thinner and lighter,” and I responded to Phil Schiller’s claim that “once you hold one in your hand you will understand what a tremendous advancement this is” with a wry smile. But having owned and used one extensively for a week now, I actually think Apple’s hype didn’t go far enough. This is not just a bit thinner and lighter, it’s virtually a third category of iPad … Ever since I bought the original iPad, it’s been my go-to mobile device. My iPhone gets used mostly as a phone (how unusual is that?), and my MacBooks – even my lovely MBA 11 – only get carried when I know I’m going to need them. The portability, instant on/off, decent screen-size and phenomenal battery-life made the iPad my constant mobile companion. I was never interested in the iPad Mini: the screen size was just too much of a compromise for me. I upgraded to the iPad 2, but with 4G just a twinkle in the eye of UK carriers at the time, the third and fourth generation models didn’t offer enough differentiation to tempt me. Indeed, my real motivation for buying the iPad Air was 4G finally taking off in the UK. [air-3]<http://9to5mac.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/air-3.jpg> My first surprise on seeing the iPad Air in the flesh was that it looked so much smaller than the dimensions and photos had suggested. That reduction in bezel size may have seemed modest on paper, but it really made an incredible difference to the perceived size. This thing looked like a cross between a full-size iPad and a Mini. [air-2]<http://9to5mac.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/air-2.jpg> That thinness too. I’d never thought of any of the earlier iPads as thick, but viewed against this, they suddenly looked like a previous generation of technology. But it was picking it up that made me go ‘wow.’ Phil Schiller was right. If anything, he didn’t go far enough. This isn’t just a smaller, lighter iPad, it’s an iPad with the screen-size of the original and the portability of the Mini. [air-4]<http://9to5mac.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/air-4.jpg> A week in, that difference is all too apparent in the way I use the iPad. Previous iPads had always been two-handed devices; the combination of slimness and weight means the Air feels perfectly comfortable held in one hand. [air-6]<http://9to5mac.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/air-6.jpg> Performance has also proved impressive. All of the iOS 7 animations are silky-smooth, and thevideo comparison<http://9to5mac.com/2013/11/01/want-to-see-how-the-ipad-air-benchmarks-trans…> of webpage rendering speeds has indeed been experienced in day-to-day use.Twice<http://9to5mac.com/2013/10/30/ipad-benchmarks-confirm-apple-claims-intel-jo…> as fast? I can’t say that shows up in my usage, but then I’m not a gamer: X-Plane is my only real iPad gaming weakness. [air-5]<http://9to5mac.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/air-5.jpg> But battery-life? That has shown up for sure. Apple is still only saying ten hours – the more efficient power usage of the A7<http://9to5mac.com/tag/a7/> and M7<http://9to5mac.com/tag/m7/> chips making up for the smaller battery<http://9to5mac.com/2013/11/01/ipad-air-teardown-never-mind-the-repairabilit…> - but the company is wrong: it delivers significantly more than this. I’d always liked the 10-hour battery-life, not just because it can get me through pretty much any day out-and-about, but also because it makes the math simple: one hour for every 10 percent battery-life showing. But what I started noticing with the Air is that I could use it for two hours and still have 85 percent or more showing. Eventually, I had to test it by running it flat. I have a home office, so picking a day when I wasn’t out in the evening meant I could just leave it on all day. Granted it wasn’t doing anything active for most of the daytime (I just refreshed a webpage every now and then), but I had everything on – wifi, Bluetooth and GPS – and the screen was on at a comfortable reading level all day. In the evening, I used it as my sofa browsing device. I didn’t notice when it finally switched off, but the last time I’d made a note, it was at 12 hours 7 minutes and still showing 6 percent remaining. So long as you’re able to charge it overnight, for all practical purposes the iPad Air has infinite battery-life. Conclusions? If you can afford one, buy one. If you can’t afford one, don’t try one: you’ll end up in debt. Wayne Billing Classroom Technology Support Audio Visual and Classroom Technology Support Computer & Network Services 130 Machray Hall Building 204-474-6649 204-807-3153 (cell) 204-474-7625 (fax) Wayne.Billing(a)umanitoba.ca<mailto:Wayne.Billing@umanitoba.ca>

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